Archive for April, 2010

The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) extracts and condenses the material that follows from Mexican and Central and South American on-line media sources on a daily basis. You are free to disseminate this information, but we request that you credit NAFBPO as being the provider.

Monterrey, N.L. – The Consul General of the United States issued a travel warning for U.S. Citizens in Nuevo Leon, the sixth this year, which calls for extreme caution for travelers in Nuevo Leon because of the violence that occurred yesterday at the hotels in Monterrey and the kidnapping of seven people.

The new alert calls for U.S. citizens to exercise caution when travelling to Mexico, particularly in the border region which includes the area of Monterrey. The warning cites incidents of violence which occurred in various parts of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Durango.

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La Voz de la Frontera (Mexicali, B.C. Mexico) 4-22-10

Two strikes against narcotics

San Luis, R.C., Sonora – 29,157 kilos (64,145 lbs.) of marijuana, valued on the United States black market at 58 million dollars was destroyed by fire yesterday at a military installation at Ejido Las Adelitas. The contraband had been seized by three different governmental agencies and various narcotics traffickers were arrested. In Tijuana, authorities seized 19 additional tons of marijuana, detained 8 henchmen of the Sinaloa Cartel and seized 5 vehicles.

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Young couple abducted in the San Fernando Business District

Mexicali-The Public Security Police received a noon report of gunshots at Central and Oriente. When they arrived at the scene, they found an abandoned car with an open door and the engine overheated.

Witnesses said a young man had been driving with a young female passenger. The young man was pushed into a black Mitsubishi Galant and the young lady was taken away in a white Ford Explorer. At the scene of the crime, police found three 9mm cases. Police found blood in the abandoned vehicle, and $1900 dollars in $20 bills which indicates the abduction was not a robbery.

Child prostitution is a major cultural phenomenon and most cases go unreported. The major portion of such cases involves violence and deprivation of rights as the victims are in transit across the state to other areas. In the year 2009 there were only six cases involving foreigners investigated. One was them was a 12 year old girl who was a victim of child prostitution.

The crimes are committed not only by smugglers but also by corrupt public officials of the local, state and federal governments in acts of abuse of authority in litigation against the parents. A major portion of the migrants, said Sandoval Cervantes, “Suffer violations of their rights as they are in transit through the state to other areas.” “Like I said, it requires recognition of the serious risk they are confronting, and to provide legal, psychological and medical assistance,” said Sandoval.

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Federal Police capture eight members of La Familia

Edomex, Mexico – Federal Police patrolling on the Valle de Bravo-Toluca Highway, observed a group of suspicious suspects. It turned out they were heavily armed. Shortly before, the Federal Police had developed information that the suspects were transporting unauthorized weapons. Intelligence reports were that those who were arrested were part of La Familia and were convoying on the highway. Eight people were detained and were in possession of 70 doses of powdered cocaine, an AK-47 Assault rifle, a .22 caliber pistol, 140 doses of rock cocaine, an M1 rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun, a .410 shotgun, a 9mm pistol, and a bag containing 1,103 cartridges of various calibers, 4 boxes of 9mm ammo, and 117 AK-47 bullets.

The arms, the people and the vehicles were taken to the Public Ministry Offices for investigation.

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El Diario de Juarez (Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua) 4-22-10

Minors threaten to set off dynamite

D.F. – Unemployed miners of the Cananea Copper Mine in Sonora threaten to set off explosives in various parts of the mine if the Mexican Government attempts to remove them. Early yesterday the Mexican Supreme Court rejected a union claim filed after the Grupo Mexico refused to invalidate a previous a labor agreement with the miners. The court considered the labor agreement to be legal and binding. A spokesman for the miners union said that they are ready to fight with “teeth and fingernails.”

Eventually the Federal Police will remove the miners who have been striking for more than two years. The strike has been declared illegal.

Sergio Beltran, the leader of the Miner’s Union, said, “The decision of this court has empowered the owner of the mine, Grupos Mexico, to exploit the workers. This, we will not permit.”